The next few days will be exciting in downtown Minneapolis, with several large events, including concurrent events Friday, May 15 at Target Field and Target Center, and additional events at the same venues Saturday, May 16. Because big crowds will be coming Downtown it’s a good idea to make it a green event for your families - to take transit, or bike or walk to :)

Events on Friday, May 15

· Twins vs. Rays at Target Field – 7:10 p.m. – gates open at 5 p.m.

· Kevin Hart at Target Center – 7 p.m. – doors open at 6 p.m.

Events on Saturday, May 16

· Twins vs. Rays at Target Field – 1:10 p.m. – gates open at 11 a.m.

· Billy Joel at Target Center – 8 p.m. – doors open at 6:30 p.m.

1. Use transit – Target Field and Target Center are extremely transit –friendly. Both venues are located at the junction of Northstar commuter rail, the METRO Blue and Green Lines, and a number of bus lines. See below for more details.

2. Bicycles are another great way to the games – Bicyclists are reminded to use headlights and taillights after dark and, if possible, to wear light or reflective clothing.

Taking transit to events

The Northstar commuter rail line offers direct service to Target Field from stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley. For added savings, the Northstar Roundtrip Family Pass offers roundtrip rides for two adults and up to three kids ages 6-17 for $20 or less. Customers can buy round-trip tickets and Northstar Roundtrip Family Passes for Twins games online at metrotransit.org/Northstar. Full train schedules for every game and fare information are available for viewing and printing at metrotransit.org/twins. Additionally, Northstar Link bus service from St. Cloud and Becker is scheduled to connect with trains at Big Lake for every game this season.

The METRO Green Line runs from Union Depot in St. Paul, along University Ave, into Minneapolis and ends at Target Field.

Direct bus service on Twins Express Route 679 from the County Road 73 Park & Ride in Minnetonka with hundreds of free parking spaces will be offered for every Twins home game again in 2015. Buses start taking fans to the ballpark two hours before each game. Return service begins two hours after first pitch (example: 7:10 p.m. game, buses begin returning to the Park & Ride at 9:10) and continues roughly every half hour until an hour after the game ends.

A number of popular and frequent bus routes stop near Target Field. Routes 3, 14 southbound and 94 (94 only until 7 p.m. weeknights, no weekend service) serve Ramp B/5th Street Transit Center adjacent to Target Field and Target Center. Many other frequent routes travel along Hennepin and Nicollet avenues just blocks away. Online tools and information for instantly planning bus or train trips to Twins games is available at metrotransit.org/twins.